Foreign players in Syria after Assad
The rapid fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has blindsided just about every foreign power, leaving them wary about what comes next

Homs
Hama
Golan Heights
Al Tanf
Daraa
Damascus
ISRAEL
LEBANON
JORDAN
SYRIA
TÜRKIYE
IRAQ
Raqqa
Idlib
Aleppo
Deir al-Zour
Latakia
Tartus
60 miles
100km

Foreign military bases*
U.S.
Russian
Turkish

Areas of control (as of Dec 10)
Opposition forces led by HTS
Turkish-backed SNA
Kurdish-led SDF
Unidentified opposition groups
Al-Tanf deconfliction zone
Israel Defence Forces (IDF)
Lost Syrian regime territory

TÜRKIYE
Since start of Syria’s civil war in 2011, Ankara has deployed troops across border and supported rebel factions – most under banner of Syrian National Army (SNA)
Türkiye’s main goal is to contain YPG – biggest militia in Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance – seen by Ankara as extension of domestically banned Kurdish rebel group – PKK
Analysts believe President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gave tacit approval to offensive led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) that ousted Assad

RUSSIA
Moscow launched air campaign and sent thousands of troops in 2015, decisively shifting conflict in Assad’s favour. In return, Russia received 49-year leases for two bases, which provide crucial hubs for transferring military contractors in and out of Africa
Russia, whose war in Ukraine weakened support for Assad, has suffered one of biggest geopolitical setbacks in quarter-century rule of President Vladimir Putin

IRAN
Tehran deployed Revolutionary Guards to Syria as early as 2012 to help Assad. Thousands of Shia fighters financed by Iran – mostly from Lebanese militant group Hezbollah – also fought alongside Syrian army
Downfall of Assad – likely hastened by Hezbollah losses in Lebanon – has dealt serious blow to “axis of resistance” – central pillar of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s foreign policy

ISRAEL
Netanyahu has capitalised on power vacuum to bomb targets across Syria, including military infrastructure, naval fleet, and weapons production sites, saying it aims to keep weapons away from extremists
Israeli forces have also seized demilitarised buffer zone in Golan Heights for “defensive purposes”

U.S.
In 2014 U.S. launched air strikes and deployed special forces to help Kurdish-led SDF capture territory from Islamic State (IS) group.
U.S. maintains force of around 900 troops in Syria – centered in north-east – and Al Tanf garrisonPrime Minister Benjamin
President-elect Donald Trump, has said Syria is a “mess” U.S. should stay out of


Sources: Reuters, Bloomberg, BBC, Washington Post, Institute for the Study of War
Pictures: Getty Images
*as of Dec 5
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